Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) composed this work, his most popular, in 1900-1901, dedicating it to the psychiatrist/musician, Dr. Nikolai Dahl, who cured the 3-year despondency that followed the unsuccessful premier of his First Symphony (unsuccessful in part because the conductor, composer Alexander Glazunov, was drunk). The Concerto contains unforgettable tunes and dazzling pianistic effects. The 1st mvmt begins with eight, bell-tolling crescendo chords before the strings announce the sumptuous 1st theme. Orchestral silence allows the piano solo to introduce the grandly melodic 2nd theme. The 2nd mvmt is a nocturne, with an atmosphere of enchantment and reverie, in unabashed Romantic style. The 3rd mvmt’s 1st theme is agitated, martial; the 2nd theme became “Full Moon and Empty Arms.” After this theme’s third presentation, the piano has the last word - an outburst of glittering bravura. G. Montero’s Op. 1, Ex Patria is a lament for her native Venezuela’s descent into lawlessness, corruption and chaos. The opening chord grabs attention, fleeting innocent motifs follow, then ominous calm, a brutalized percussive interruption, mournful rhapsody, and an finale in chromatic decay. Improv. #1 is a sweet, melancholic, Bachian prelude; Improv. #2 a rhapsody a la Rachmaninoff; Improv. # 3 a lovely, quiet Spanish ballade a la Isaac Albéniz.